Attachment for circular-knitting machines.



R. W. SCOTT.

' ATTACHMENT FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12. 912.

1,199,208 7 PatentedSept. 26,1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1- WIT/165888 In Men/0r R. W. SCOTT.

ATTACHMENT FOR CIRCULARVKNIITING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.12. 19l2.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nvenfor' R. W. SCOTT.

ATTACHMENT FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES.

'NPPLICATION FILED AUG.12. 1912.

1,1 99,208. Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO SCOTT 8t WILLIAMS, INCORPORATED, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW J ERSEY.

ATTACHMENT FOR CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

Application filed August 12, 1912. Serial No. 714,536.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT W. SCO T, a citizen of the United States. residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State produce one or more courses, sections on areas of a different texture of fabric,-such for instance as the structures shown and described in the patent to Loretto A. Costello, No. 976,555, granted November 22, 1910, as well as other special and occasional variations in the texture of knit web.

My invention also relates to certain new devices for addition to existing circular,

machines andespecially to circular machines having a fixed cam cylinder and .a rotary needle cylinder such for instance as those shown in the applications of Harry vSwinglehurst, Serial No. 628,055, filed May 18, 1911, and Serial No. 653,002, filed October 5, 1911.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a right sideelevation of a machine of the type shown in said applications to. illustrate the attachment of my new devices thereto; Fig. 2'is a fragmentary plan of a 7 bed plate B; Fig. 3 is a section on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section radially of the needle and cam-cylinders showing the fixed and movable jack-cams, a needle and jack. Figs.' 5 and 6 are respectively developments of the interior surface of the cam ring showing the path of the needle butts when the supplemental cams are in an idle and in an active position; Figs. 7 8 and 9 are respectively details of the pattern chain and of the two forms of. jacks; ig. 10 is a detail showing one form of the cam 23 The rotary needle cylinder machine above mentioned is an improvement upon the machine shown in patentto George D. Mayo, No. 726,178, granted April 21, 1903, and the machine to which my present improvements are applied, except as to the devices for rotating the needle cylinder instead of the cam cylinder may correspond substantially with the disclosure in said patent. j

The machine table A, the bed plate B, the

drive-shaft 40 and the idle and speed-changing pulleys 135, 136 and 137 may be. of the usual construction built under said Mayo patent; and the cam-shaft 102, the cam 101, the clutch-shifting lever 120, the driveratchet 17 7 for the cam-shaft and the pawlcontroller 185 for said ratchet, pivoted on the stud 184, as well as themechanism for rotating and oscillating the knitting'head, may be of the usual construction.

The rotary needle cylinder 1 supported and rotated on the bed-plate B is provided with a full circle of independentlymovable latch needles in two continuous series, one

series occupying about one half of the peripheral surface being provided with short butts a while the other series is furnished with longer butts n all as usual.

-The machine may be equipped with the I usual web-holders operated by the webholder ring 114 and the yarn or yarns supplied to the knitting wave or waves created by the advancing cams and stitch-cams, or their duplicates if double-courseknitting-is to be performed are, as usual, fed through the latch ring 43, as indicated at 43 in Figs. 5 and 6. i

The narrowing and widening mechanism (not shown) and the mechanism for controlling said mechanism may be of any wellknown type such as that of the said patent,

As in the patented machine, with the exception that the structure is relatively fixed,

instead of rotary, the separation into two series or halves of the circle of needles preparatory to narrowing or widening of heel or toe may be accomplished by the swinging and radially movable switch-cam 49, acting to elevate the long butt needles to an upper idle path above the stitch-cam 27. I

One object of my improved mechanism is to provide for the selection ahd special operation of any selected series of the needles without'interference with any of the above noticed old mechanism for knitting a -fashioned stocking. In the particular rm dis closed, the desired object is 'to operate alternate needles, or every third or fourth needle, so as to cause it to fail to perform its knitting cycle during one or more courses, or passages of the knitting cams, while retaining its previous loop, and to then op erate-it normally in the next course, or sucseeding courses, and therefore to form a tucked stitch in thewale from the selected needle, for the purpose disclosed in said Costello patent; and to limit the extent of said stitches to one course, if desired, repeating the structure at predetermined intervals separated by an extent of plain fabric.

At a point between the stitch-cam 27,

Figs. 5 and 6, and the switch-cam 49, the

ledge 9 of the cam-ring 15 is recessed at 10 to form a depression with sloped ends.-

A radially movable depressing cam 11 and elevating cam 12 are rigidly but adjustably mounted for movement into the recess 10, as by screws 14, on a block 13 on the inner end of a radially movable slide 16 mounted on the cam ring 15 by screw 17 in a slot 171. The lower end of the cam 11, which; in the direction forrotary knitting shown by the arrows in Figs. 5 and 6, precedes the cam 12, is slightly lower than said cam 12, and spaced from it to provide an opening Wide enough to admit the needle butts. The cam 12 is of suificient height to move the needle butts encountering it to the idle level above cam 27.

Cam 11 normally depresses or retractsall the needles when the slide 16 and its attach- -ments are in their inmost position, and has provide at the point occupied by it a greaterseparation between the active and idle levels of the needle-butts in order to enable the --special separation of the needles at a point slightly below their normal level.

Cooperatingwith the cam 12, and well below the level of the needle-butts on the caniledge is an elevating jack-cam 18, which is not necessarily movable except for adjustment and may be permanentl mounted on the cam ring 15. A recess wit sloping ends 19 is formed in the cam ring to accommodate the cam 18, the space between the cam and recess forming an advancin and retracting cam-path for the butts of acks 20 sliding in the same grooves with, and beneath the lower ends of the selected needles m upon which tuck stitches are to be formed. The advancing or leading part of the campath for the jack butts is parallel with the active face of the cam 12, and separated from it by a vertical distance slightly less than the vertical distance between the butt jacks move on the dotted llne 2-2 of Fig. 6.

I may if necessary, provide a groove 155 in the rotary support for the needle cylinder, to accommodate the tails'of the jacks, but it will be understood that the jacks may be of such proportions as to render this.un-- necessary. I a

The butts of such needles, indicated at w, as are provided with jacks, will be moved upward in the space'between cams 11 and 12, on a line parallel with the -face of cam 12,

will then encounter the cam, pass to the idle level, and be passed by the knitting-wave, formed inthe remainingneedles y, having no jacks, without entering beneath the cam 27. The jacks 20 having been retired by the following sl0pe19 of their cam, the needles 8 0 3 I m are again restored to the normal level 9 by the switch cam 49 employed as in'the said patented Mayo machine to operatethe instep. needles. As in said machine, said cam is radially movable, so that when in its low- 8 ermost position it encounters the long butt needles only, to lift them to the idle path,

but when elevated to the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6, it is moved inward to act upon the butts of all of the elevated needles. It

follows that in order first to'specially operatethe selected needlesby means of their 'acks and then to restore them to normal nitting movements, the cams-.11 and -12 should be made intermittently operative. 9

Preferably; each needle 00 should be operated specially at least once orduring one course, before restoring it to normal action.

It is desirable, whether the special stitch'is to occupy one or several courses, to. provide 1 for beginning the special operation at a particular needle.

-.-In order to accomplish this by radial movements of cams 11 and 12, I provide upon the slide 16 an adjustable follower 22 pressed radially outward with respect to the cam cylinder by the spring 7 fast at one end to a pin on the bed-plate and at the other end to said slide. Said slide is operated by the-contact of its follower 22 with the 'operative face of a cam 23 carried upon a've'rtical tubular stud 24 mounted on the bedplate B by means of the screws 25. Said tubular stud provides a shoulder 26 upon which the ratchet 30 is freely rotatedbut withsufiicient friction to prevent its overrunning. The cam 23 is formed as a separate element attached to the iower face of said ratchet. Above said ratchet and also journaled upon the tubularstud 24 is a guard 31 provided with a recess 32 in which a pawl 33 normally, plays. Said pawl is carried by a pawl-carrier 34 fast to the upper end'of a vertical rock-shaft 35 in the bore of said tubular stud. The lower end of said rock-shaft carsame as in said patented Mayo machine. 136

By this means the rock-shaft 35, the pawlcarrier 34 and its pawl 33 are constantly rocked upon each revolution of the gear 38 to actuate the ratchet 30 to advance the cam 23. This operation is however normally prevented by the pawl-guard 31. Said pawlguard is furnished withan arm 39 connected by link 40 to a bell-crank lever 41 on a bracket 43 under table B, connected by an adjustable link 56 to a follower 57 journaled on the same stud. 184 as the pawl-guard 185. The chain 147, a function of which in the said patented machine is to'lift the pawl-guard 185 to control the operation of the ratchet 177 to advance the timing or cam-shaft 102, is provided with one-or more links having lugs 201 to cotiperate with the follower 57. The movements of the chain are such as to hold the lug 201 under its follower during as many revolutions of the machine as there are teeth on the ratchet 30.

\Vhenever the pattern chain has advanced to bring one of the lugs 201under the follower 57 the pawl-guard 31 will be actuated by the described connection to permit the recess 32 to be brought opposite the arc of oscillation of the point of the pawl to cause the ratchet 30 to be advanced. Each of the cams 43 on the gear 38 is provided with a dwell 43 which causes the ratchet 30 to be advanced in two steps or stages. It will be understood that, as inthe Mayo patented machine, the gear 38 is rotated ata comparatively low rate, for instance one complete rotation to two revolutions of the rotary cylinder.

As shown in 'Fig. 2, theratchet is in the instance illustrated provided with seven teeth, of which three correspond to a low concentric part of the cam 23. The part of said cam first encountering follower 22 termin-ates in a dwell 23 of a height suiiicient to move the follower 22 and slide 16 inwardly to position the cams 11 and 12 just out of contact with the high-butt needles.

This takes place on a forward stroke of pawl 33, caused by the first passage of cam 43 after a lug 201 has lifted the follower 57 to move the guard 31. The next forward stroke of the pawl 33 will bring opposite the follower 22 a higher level 23 of cam 23. This movement, timed by the relation of the gear 38' to the needle-cylinder, and the position of the cams 43 relative to the gear,

23 of cam 23 against follower 22, and thereby thrusting cams 11 and 12 all the way in,- to a position inwhich they will encounter the low-butt needles when the high-butts have all passed.

It will be seen that the'purpose' of the dwell 43 in the pawl-operating cams 43 and the dwell 23 in the slide operating cani 23 is to hold the special cams 11 and 12 in an intermediate position, to encounter high butt needles only, until after the high butt series shall have entered said cams, and that the construction described secures the automatic entrance of the cams in two stages, to complete contact with all the needles.

The follower 22 may be adjusted with respect to the cam by means of the screws 172 and slots 173, to afford a fine adjustment for the timing. 7.

The pawl-guard 31, under the influence of the pattern-chain, may now remain in a position to'permit the pawl 33 to advance the ratchet 30. As shown in. the particular instance illustrated, thehigh level 23 of the cam 23 is not long enough to permit 'an" advance of one tooth of the ratchet while the cams 11 and 12 are in their most forward lower 22 to pass, under the stress of spring 7, on -to level 23 (which is of the same intermediate height as level 23) on the second half of the next forward stroke of the pawl. This occurs during the second passage of the high-butt needles. The cams 11 and 12 are now in a position to run off the end of the have therefore been taken above the knitting position, which results in permitting the fol-" cam during one full revolution of the needle-' cylinder, while such of them as have long butts have been time.

'I find it desirable to limit the operation of the special stitch devices in some cases to a single course, beginning and ending upon' adjoining needles. To secure such an operation of the needle by timing the motion of the cams 11 and 12 would necessitate an accuracy impracticable at the speeds employed, and it is .not possible to interfere with the arrangement of the butts of the needles, which is dictated by the necessity of making heels and toes. I therefore provide the cam 18 for elevating the jacks with a movable upper portion 18, made as an integralpart of a slide 60 radially guided in a housing 61 attached to the cam ring 15. A spring 62 similarly operated a second normally holds the slide inward. Taking in a hole 63 in theslide is a lever 64 pivoted tentrally in the housing."

In the block 13 I provide a stop-screw 65,

having a jam nut, to contact with the upper end of lever 64 to move the portion-18 of the cam outward when slide 16 is farthest inward. The leading end of the portion 18*, in the direction of the moving jack-butts, is provided with a shallow bevel 18 So many only of the jacks 20 as are in I I contact with the leading needles of the series of needles with long butts n are provided with short butts 220. l have shown eight jacks so provided, to cooperate with alternate needles of the sixteen leading longbutt needles, although the proportionate number may be widely varied. Upon the .described operation of the cams 11 and 12, the said cams first encounter and move thelongbutt needles upon the first half of the stroke of pawl 33. The lever 6% is not moved by the screw 65, however, and the short butt jacks are efiective to move their long butt needles into contact with cam 12. But upon the second half of the pawl stroke the cams 11 and 12 move all the way in, and the screw descent 23 for this purpose, so placed as .to' become active on the second half of a pawl.

' moves lever 64 to withdraw the cam portion 18? so that it is now in a position to encounter the long butts only of the Jacks.

This operation does not take place, however,

until all of the jacks having short butts 220 have passed over the apex of the cam 13 and 18 and the operation of the jacks continues until the short butt jacks again come opposite the'cam, when they pass across the face of the withdrawn portion 18*, without having elevated the leading long-butt needle. The bevel 18 is here efiective to enable the portion 18* to be withdrawn only far enough i to let the short butts pass in.contact with its face to preventthe throwing of the shortbutt jacks out of their grooves centrifugally, should any ofthem be thrown high enough to cause their tails to pass off the face of card '18., The cam 12, which began its operation by lifting the first long butt needle, now remains in its advanced position as above. described, until the last short butt needle has passed up its face. It is now possible to withdraw the cams 11 and 12 during the interval measured by the passage of the short butt jacks, and as shown in Fig. 10 I provide a modified cam 23 with an abrupt butt jack. These needles may be adjoining needles, if desired.

The spring-pressed cam portion 18 again enters to "its normal position after it encounters and moves the first -few long butt jacks, the slide 16 having moved outwardly and released the lever 64.

the leading needle of the It is obvio us that the machine may be intercession of the cams 11 and 12 are of no efiect to move a needle olit of range of the stitch-cam. 7

Having described my invention what I needle and cam. carriers, needles, a stitch cam, and a supplemental needle cam mechanism' comprising a needle advancing cam' and pattern controlled means for moving claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent.

1. A circular knitting I machine having.

said cam into and out of operative position in combination with constantly active means for selectively moving some of said needles only into range of said advancing-cam when it is in operative position.

-. 2. A circular knitting machine having needle and cam carriers, needles, a main stitch cam, ,and' supplemental needle cam mechanism comprising a needle depressing.

cam and pattern controlled means for moving said cam into and out ofcontact with the needle butts, in combination with means for acting upon needles depressed by saidcam to determine their passage at said main stitch cam without knitting.

3. A knitting machine havingneedle and cam carriers, needles, a stitch' cam, and supplemental cam mechanism comprising a needle depressing cam and pattern controlled means .for moving said cam into and out of contact with the needle butts, in combination with means for moving some of the needles depressed by said depressing ,oam out of line with the others, and anvadvancing cam acting upon the needles so moved to position them for passage above said stitch cam.

4. A circularv knitting machine having needle and cam carriers, needles, a stitch cam, and supplemental needle cam .mechanism comprising a needle depressing cam,

an advancing cam, and pattern controlled means for moving said cams into and out of contact with the needle butts, in combination with jacksfor recurrent needles and a"jack' cam for moving said needles from their .de-

pressed position'into position said advancing cam.

5. In a knitting machine needles therein, a cam-carrier'and. a stitch to contact with cam for actuating the needles, in. combination with a supplemental-cam mechanismi comprlsmg a retracting cam.-:surfa ce for a needlecarrier,

nfoving all the needles, out of their normal path, an advancing cam surface in contact v with needles so moved for restoring them to their normal path, an advancing cam surisnface out of the-path of the retracted needles and means for actuating certain of the needles only after they have been retracted by said retracting cam to encounter said last mentioned advancing cam, whereby to render said certain needles idle at the stitch controlled'devices for moving the retracting V and advancingcam into and out of contact with the needle butts at predetermined times. Y

7. In a knitting machine, a needle carrierand independently movable needles therein, a cam carrier and a stitch cam for actuating the needles, in combination with a supplemental cam mechanism comprising a retracting cam surface and an advancing cam surface out of the path of the retracted needles and means for causing certain of the needles only after they have been influenced by the retracting cam to be engaged andto be actuated by the advancing cam to carry said needles out of position to be actuated by the stitch cam. Y

' '8. In a knitting machine, a needle carrier and independently movable needles therein,

a cam carrier, and stitch cam adapted for" rotary and reciprocatory knitting, a switch cam for throwing a part of the needles nto and out of the path of the stitch cam, dev ces including an advancing cam in the normal needle path, means for deflectingall of the needles beneath the said advancing cam and means for operating upon cer ain of the needles independently of the switch cam to throw them into contact with the advancing cam, to take them out of the path of the stitch cam, and into a position to cause them to be engaged and; retracted by the switch cam after the passage of the stitch cam.

-9. In aknitting machine, a needle carr er and independently movable needles therein, a cam carrier and cams,'means to rotate and reciprocate the needle carrier, a switch cam for throwing part of the needles 1n to and out of the path of the stitch cam, devlces including an advancing cam in the normal needle path, means for deflecting the needles beneath said advancing cam and means for operating upon certain of the needles independently of the switch cam to throw them into contact with the advancing cam, to take them out of the path of the stitch cam, and into a position -to cause them to be engaged and retracted by the switch cam after the passage of the stitch cam, and means for rendering saiddevices operative and inoperative at predetermined times.

10. In a circular knitting machine, a needle carrier, a carrier and cams thereon cooperating with all of the needles, means to rotate one of said carriers, needles and means .for knitting thereon, means cooperating with needlesrecurrent among all of said needles to knit a special stitch, and de vices for positioning the needles to cause said means to be operative upon said needles during a whole revolution or multiple of revolutions only of said rotary carrier,

whereby the special stitch occupies the whole of a course or multiple of courses of the fabric.

V 11. In a knitting machine a needle carrier and needles, a stitch cam, means for causing certain of the needles only to be operated to knit at predetermined intervals comprising a retracting cam for carrying all the needles below their normal level, a following advancing cam, means to move certain needles only out of their retracted position and into contact with said-advancing cam and pattern controlled devices for moving one of said cams into and out of contact with the needle butts at predetermined times.

12. In a circular knitting machine, a needle carrier and needles, a cam-carrier, and earns onsaid cam carrier for operating the needles to knit, in combination with devices on said cam'carrier for acting on all ofcertain selected needles occurring among the others throughout the carrier to prevent said needles from knitting, and means for positioning the needles to cause said devices to begin and end their action upon adjoining selected needles, whereby to confine the stitch knit to an entire course or multiple of courses.

13. In a special stitch mechanism, for circular knitting machines, needles and knitting mechanism comprising a stitch-cam,

cam means preceding the stitch cam for moving the needles coacting therewith out of contact with the stitch cam, means to move certain of the needles at a predetermined time, in' succession, into contact with said cam means, and means to secure the vertical separation. of the first of-said certain needles to be so moved'from the last of said needles, upon the'second or a later passage of the advancing cam, wherebyv the special stitch will occupy the whole of a course, or a 'multipleof courses, without overlapping.

7 14. In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder and independently movable needles, means for knitting including a stitch cam, means for causing some of the needles to be elevated above the path of the stitch cam at predetermined times to make tuck stitches, and means for actuating the tucking means to begin-the'operation upon a certain needle tially a complete circular course containing tucked stitches, or a multiple of such courses.

15 In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder and independently movable needles, means for knitting including a stitch cam, meansfor causing some-of the needles to be elevated above the path of the stitch cam at predetermined times to maketuck stitches comprising aretracting cam, a following advancing cam, and means to'cause certain of the needles only to contact with the advancing'cam; and devices for actuating said tucking means to begin the operation upon a certain'needle and to end the operation upon anethercertain needle.

16. In a knitting machine, a needle carrier and "independently movable needles therein, a cam carrier, a stitch cam, and means for rotary and reciprocatory knitting,

and a switch cam for throwing a continuous series of the needles out of and all of the needles into position to encounter the stitch cam, devices including a needle retracting cam, a needle advancing cam, and independently movable jacks for operating upon certain of the needles to throw them out of their retracted position to encounter said advancing cam to be moved out of operative contact with the stitch cam and into a position to cause them to be engaged and retracted by the switch cam after their passage of the stitch cam.

17. In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder and independently movable needles, means for knitting including a stitch cam and means for causing some of the needles to be operated at predetermined times to make tuck stitches, comprising a cam for moving all of the needles out of their normal path, means to restore said needles to their normal path and means-to, operate certain of the needles while out of their normal path, to take them above the stitch cam.

18. In a knitting machine, a needle carrier and independently movable needles, means for knitting including a stitch cam and cam devices for normally maintaining the needles at an active level at which they will operatively encounter the stitch cam, said cam devices having a depression, and means for selecting and specially operating certain of the needles only, comprisin a retracting cam to depress all of the need es be low their normal level at said depression, a following advancing cam in a position to render it ineffective upon the needles so depressed, and means for elevating some of the needles only to bring them into contact with the advancing cam.

19. In a special stitch mechanism for knitting machines, independent needles, a needle retracting and a needle advancing cam and means for rendering said cams operative at certain times only, in combination with independently movable jacks and a cam for operating said jacks to engage-certain of the needles depressed by said depressing cam, to cause said needle to be advanced by said advancing-cam;'and means for rendering the j ack-caminoperative on some of the jacks.

20. In a special stitch mechanism for knitting machines, independent needles, a needle retracting and a needle advancing cam and means to render said cams operative and inoperative on all of the needles at predetermined times, in combination with independently movable jacks anda cam for operating said jacks to engage certain of the needles depressed by said depressing cam, to cause said needle to be advanced by said advancing cam; and means to render the j ack-cam inoperative on certain of the jacks when said needle cams are operative on all of the needles.

21. In a circular knitting machine, a needle cylinder, independently movable needles having butts, means for knitting including a stitch cam acting on said butts, means comprising a needle retracting and a needle advancing cam and needle selecting means act mg on said butts for forming tuck stitches, a

radial slide on which said retracting and advancing cams are mounted, and means to operate the slide to move the cams into and out of contact with the needles.

22. In a circular knitting machine," a needle cylinder and independently movable needles having operating butts of different lengths, means for knitting upon the needles including a stitch cam for'acting on said butts, means for causing some of the needles to be operated to make tuck stitches comprising an advancing cam acting on said butts to carry the needles above the stitch cam, means to select certain needles only for contact with said cam, and-means to cause said advancmg cam at predetermlned intervals to move to a position to encounter the long butt needles only.

23. In a circular knitting machine, a

needle-cylinder and independently movable needles having butts of different lengths, means for knitting on said needles including a stitch cam contacting 'with said butts, means for causing some of the needles to beoperated to make tuck stitches comprising an advancing cam for contact with said butts to carry the needles above the stitch cam and means to cause said advancing cam at predetermined intervals to move to a position to encounter the long butt, needles only, and then to a position to encounter the short butt needles, and thereafter to withdraw said cam in two steps or stages.

24'. In a knitting machine, a needle car rier and independently movable needles, means for knitting including a stitch cam, cam-devices for normally maintaining. the

needles at an active level at which they Willoperatively encounter the stitch cam,'1n com 7 bination with means for selecting and specially operating certain of the needles only, comprising a retracting cam to take the needles below the normal level, a following advancing cam in a position to render. it in effective upon the needles so depressed, and means for elevating some of the needles only to bring them into contact with the elevating cam, comprising independently movable jacks, and means to operate them to lift selected needles into engagement with the advancingv cam.

25. In a knitting machine, a needle carrier and independently movable needles, means for knitting including a stitch cam, cam devices for normally maintaining the needles at an active level at which they will operatively encounter the stitch cam, in combination with means for selecting and specially operating certain of the needles only, comprising a retracting cam to take the needle below the normal level, a followingadvancing cam in a position to render it inefi'ective upon the needles so depressed,

and means for elevating some of the needles only to bring them into contact with the elevating cam, comprising independentlymovable jacks, having butts of different lengths, a cam to operate them to lift selected needles into engagement with the advancing cam, and means vto cause said cam to act on the long butt jacks only. p

26. In a knitting machine, a needle carrier and independently movable needles comprising a series of needles having long butts and a series of needles having short butts,-

a stitch cam, means for selectively operating certain of the needles of each of said series to cause them to fail to contact with the operative face of the stitch cam,'said means comprising movable retracting and advancing cams and means to move said cams while opposite the short butt series of needles into position to first contact :with a long butt needle and thereafter to a position to contact with both series of needles.

27. In a circular knitting machine, a pattern mechanism, needle and cam carriers, independent needles having butts and a stitch cam cooperating with said butts, a supplementary cam mechanism comprising a needle .cam for retracting the needle butts.

and means for elevating certain only of the needles so retracted to cause them to pass the stitch cam without knitting, and means for rendering saidsupplementary mechanism nism. 28. In a circular knitting machine, needle and cam carriers, independent needles, and

means for knittingthereon, in combination with needle-cams, and jacks for operating on certain of the needles only, to prevent them from knitting, a jack-cam, means to cause the needle cams and jacks to cooperate at a predetermined needle, and means cooperating with the jack-cam to render it idle upon a second passage of the jack for said needle.

29. In a circular knitting machine, needle and cam carriers, independent needles, and means for knitting thereon, in combination with needle-cams and jacks for operating on certain of the needles only, to prevent them from knitting, a j ack-cam normally in continuous operation, means to move the needle cams at a predetermined time to cooperate with the jacks at a predetermined needle, and means to render the jack-cam idle upon a second passage of the jack for said needle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my,

name in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT W. SCOTT. 

